US Secretary of State John Kerry (C), Russia's Foreign affairs minister Serguei Lavrov (R) and UN-Arab League envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi (L) speak during a press conference following their meeting at the US ambassador's residence in Paris on January 13, 2014.(AFP Photo / Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

As the US, Russia and the UN are struggling to bring parties in the Syrian armed conflict together for peace talks, some trust-building gestures, including prisoner exchange and a possible localized ceasefire are being negotiated.

The possibility of such moves, as well as providing humanitarian
assistance to some parts of Syria, were discussed in Paris by US
Secretary of State John Kerry, his Russian counterpart Sergey
Lavrov and UN’s special envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi.

Initiating measures toward deescalating the Syrian conflict would
send a positive message and pave the way towards a fruitful peace
conference, which is to be held later this month in Switzerland,
both Kerry and Lavrov said at a media conference.

Prisoner exchange may be a simpler goal to achieve. Armed
opposition forces are preparing lists of Syrian army soldiers and
officials in their captivity, Kerry said. A similar preparation
is underway in Damascus.

Achieving a total ceasefire would probably be unrealistic under
the circumstances, but both US and Russia are suggesting a
localized ceasefire, which would serve as a test for the
readiness of both sides to curb violence.

"We talked today about the possibility of trying to encourage
a ceasefire. Maybe a localized ceasefire in Aleppo," Kerry
said.

Syria’s largest city Aleppo has been a scene of intensive
fighting in the past few weeks.

A third important step would be providing humanitarian access to
Syrian regions most affected by the violence, particularly the
Damasucs suburbs of Ghouta. Foreign Minister Lavrov is
negotiating such a move with Damascus, Kerry said.

Humanitarian access however would be difficult to provide, Lavrov
stressed. Syrian militants are targeting foreigners, including
aid workers, and have killed at least 32 members of various
relief organizations trying to help Syrians, he said.

Iran invited to Switzerland

Another important issue discussed by the three negotiators deals
with Iran’s participation in the conference. According to
Brahimi, an invitation to the Swiss town of Montreux, where the
gathering is to take place, has been sent to Tehran.

“Iran participation or not participation is not a matter of
ideology, it is a matter of common sense,” the envoy said.

Kerry said that the US supports Iran’s participation in the
conference, but insists that Tehran endorses the peace roadmap
agreed to during the previous Syria peace conference in Geneva.

Iranian presence at the conference has been a matter of heated
debate. A key ally of the Syrian government, Iran, was not
welcomed in Montreux by some supporters of the armed opposition,
including Saudi Arabia.

Kerry previously said Iran could contribute “on the sidelines” of
the conference, a notion which was refused in Tehran, saying it undermined its dignity.

The Iranian foreign minister will visit Moscow, along with his
Syrian counterpart, on Thursday.

Saudi Arabia’s participation in the conference is no less
relevant than that of Iran, Lavrov said.

“We hope that in the end the UN Secretary General will invite
everyone, who has an impact on the real development of the
situation,” he said.

The meeting in Paris was apparently less tense than some previous
meetings between Lavrov and Kerry, with the two confirming that
Russia and the US are in full agreement on most issues. Apart
from serious diplomatic exchanges, the two diplomats had some fun
with an exchange of small presents.

Kerry presented Lavrov with two potatoes – a reference to an
earlier telephone conversation they had had. The Russian
delegation responded with a ushanka hat, an iconic relic of the Soviet era,
complete with a red star, but colored cartoonish pink.